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Canning Tomatoes

We feel so incredibly blessed to still be able to can and freeze produce this season. It is the first year in a long time that we haven't had a garden and when we moved I mourned the fact that we wouldn't be able to can and freeze like we had in the past.Between family being generous with their produce, co-workers dropping off produce on our step, and the local farmer's markets, I have canned more this year than any year in the past. What a blessing.Tomatoes have been plentiful, so I have been canning using my old trusty recipes as well as a few new ones. I think we are set with two types of pasta sauce as well as pizza sauce. I still hope to make salsa, but am rather scared. I've never made salsa before. All that chopping. Oy!Here are my favourite tomato recipes this year:

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and
tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat,
reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture
reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently. For mine to reach the
thickness we like, I had it simmer for 2 to 2 ½ hours.

Blanch
15 lbs. tomatoes for 1 minute. Place in ice water. Discard cord/stem and
peel and cut each tomato into large chunks (I cut each large tomato into
8ths). I blanch about 7 tomatoes at a time and cut an x into the bottom of
each tomato before blanching, to make the peeling process easier.

Simmer
until you get to your desired thickness of sauce. I simmered mine for 30
minutes and then used the immersion blender to get the sauce to the
consistency I wanted. I then simmered it another 1-1 ½ hours to help it
thicken more.

To can, ladle into hot, sterilized pint jars (or
quarts if you are canning a larger amount) to within 1/2 inch of top, add
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
per pint to assure acidity, seal with sterilized lids and process full
jars in boiling water bath for 35 minutes for pint jars and 40 minutes for
quart jars.

1.Prepare a boiling water bath canner and four half pint jars. Place lids
into a small pan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.

2.Peel, core, and dice the tomatoes. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high
heat. Add oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, kosher salt, Italian seasoning, and
black pepper. As they heat, use a potato masher or the back of a fork to help
the tomato chunks break down into a rough sauce. (I used the immersion blender.
Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens and
reduces by half. This took about 2.5 hours for me.

3.When sauce is finished cooking, remove it from the heat. Funnel into
prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place ½ tsp lemon juice on top of
each jar. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath
for 15 minutes.

4.Note: While this sauce can be made with any variety of tomato, choosing
a meatier tomato like a plum, roma or beefsteak means that your yield will be
closer to mine. If you make it with watery tomatoes, such as an heirloom, bump
up the starting weight a little, to ensure you get the proper yield.

Makes 4 half pints. It made 6 for me—I must have
used bigger tomatoes.

**It is very important to practice safe canning methods. If you are new to canning or need a refresher, please check out these health and safety suggestions found in THISlink.**